The Pygmy
Wren-Babbler is an unmistakable, tiny, 9 cm (3 ½ inch) bird with almost no
visible tail. The upperparts are dark olive-brown with a round spot of deep
yellow on the feather tips, except the flight feathers. The underparts show
a conspicuous scaly pattern of white edges on black feathers on the chin,
throat, breast and belly, gradually changing to rufous and buff edges on
dark brown feathers in the lower belly and vent area.

The vocalization
is described as a jumble of high, thin sibilant notes, usually beginning
with a single note, then double notes, as: ‘seeee, see-see, see-see,
see-see.’ The note is a wheezy ‘pshhhh’, similar to the sound of a bicycle
when braking.

This species is
widespread and common, on or near the ground, in dense, damp forest of
mid-elevation, between 1,000 and 2,000 m. Though shy and secretive, they
are not particularly wary. When encountered in the shadows of undergrowth,
they rarely flee but usually go about their business of foraging, ignoring
the observer.

The Pygmy
Wren-Babbler in Taiwan, variously called Formosan Wren-Babbler, Taiwan
Wren-Babbler, and Scaly-breasted Wren Babbler P. albiventer formosana,
is vocally different from all other subspecies. Some authors consider
“Taiwan Wren-Babbler” to be a separate species.

References:
*Birds of the World: A Checklist,
James Clements, with updates to July 2005